Frankly, I'll be willing to admit, I didn't start following the Steelers religiously until the next year(I was just a young kid during the 90's).

The 1997 Steelers had a great year filled with exciting finishes, but after that AFC Title game loss vs. the Donkeys, who would've known that from that moment on, it was the beginning of the end for Kordell, and the Steelers wouldn't make the playoffs for another four seasons, including two sub .500 years in a row. The Late 90's, how I remember them well... bleh.

The decline of that team after 1997 illustrates 2 points: coaching matters and don't let the players dictate hiring deisions.

IMO Kordell's skills and flaws would have been better handled if Chan Gailey would have remained as offensive coordinator through at least 1998.

Instead, Gailey became HC of the Cowboys and Kordell allegedly was given input into the decision to hire the infamous Ray Sherman as O-coordinator. Sherman was so bad that Cowher stripped him of play calling responsibilities before firing him at the end of only one season. Then it was on to Kevin Gilbride trying to turn Stewart into a pocket passer and the team becoming so bad that Cowher almost lost his job after the 1999 season. Whiel Kordell had a very good 2001 regular season, his confidence & mechanics were shot.

A similar inmates running the asylum downward spiral quite possibly would have resulted if Grimm would have been hired over Tomlin.